O Christmas Tree
by SaultNPeppah
Summary: Bruce decides he's going to cut down his own Christmas tree, trying to prove a point to Diana, but it doesn't go as expected. WonderBat Holiday Event entry for day 12: Christmas Tree


**So, bit of an AU here, no powers, no League. Just wanted to do a one shot as if they were "normal" people. WonderBat Holiday 2018 Event Day 12: Christmas Tree**

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 **December 11. Gotham Woods. 17:21.**

"You didn't have to do this, Bruce."

Twenty-nine year old Bruce Wayne, reformed playboy billionaire, looked over his shoulder and grinned. He watched as his best friend turned girlfriend stood behind him, her hands on her hips, a grimace on her face. He knew she thought this was a bad idea, that he was incapable of doing this, but he had wanted to prove a point. "I did, and I can," was all he said, before he fixed the scarf around his neck, pulling it further up around his mouth to keep his lips from freezing.

Diana Prince stood behind him and let out a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest, as she watched him pick up the axe. She didn't understand his need to prove he was as manly as anyone else, and if that were the case, cutting down his own tree was not the way to do it. Sure, she would admit, when she had made a comment about Clark always cutting down the family's Christmas tree months ago, she had done so to make him jealous. Clark had always been the complete opposite of Bruce: a small town farm boy, who was modest, trying to make a living as a reporter in a big city. Bruce was not modest, nor was he as chivalrous as Clark was - it was what had attracted Diana to him. Clark had always done things for her, whether she wanted him to or not. He had always assumed she was incapable of doing things for herself, always thought she needed him to help build or fix something, when she was perfectly able to do it herself.

Having grown up with a single mother, Diana had come to learn how to do things herself, whether it was changing the tires of her car on the side of the road, or cooking. She didn't need anyone to do things for her, which was why her relationship with Clark had been so short lived. With Bruce, however, she found that balance she had never seemed to find with Clark. He knew she was very capable of handling things on her own, so he never tried to assert his dominance. She was his equal - So when Bruce had decided he was going to cut down the perfect Christmas tree for her, she knew he was only doing it because it was something Clark would do.

"Bruce," Diana said, watching as Bruce's hands gripped the axe tightly. She knew the man had never used an axe in his life, let alone cut down a tree- this was not going to end well. "You're trying to prove a point that doesn't need to be proven," she said, wincing when he swung the axe. It landed in the middle of the tree stump with a thud, and Diana breathed a sigh of relief when she saw he still had all his fingers. "We can go buy one."

Bruce shook his head and raised the axe once more. "That's so impersonal," he said, mimicking Diana, which only caused her to scowl at his back.

"That's not what I said," she said, stepping closer to him. She pushed the end of her ponytail over her right shoulder and pulled her hood up over her head as fresh snow began to fall. "I said sending Alfred to get a tree was impersonal. I would have been perfectly content getting one with you."

Bruce only huffed in annoyance, swinging the axe once more, letting it hit the tree with a hard thunk. He glanced over at Diana and tried to focus on how beautiful she looked, but every time he saw her, he thought back to this morning, when he had seen Clark's arms wrapped tightly around her, whispering something in her ear.

He had been walking out of work, walking to where Diana said she would be waiting for him when she had called earlier that morning, when he had seen the two of them. Diana had said she had a surprise for him and couldn't wait until he was off work to give it to him, but when he had seen her there, talking to Clark, he had been unable to think rationally. He knew the two of them still talked - hell the three of them still had dinner together every month, but he hadn't expected to see her so friendly with him. The three had been friends since college, but there was something about the way Clark's hand had been around her waist, holding her close, that Bruce didn't like. It wasn't as if he didn't trust Diana, he trusted her more than anyone else in the world - it was Clark he didn't trust entirely. The two may have been friends, which is why it had hurt knowing one of his best friends had decided he wanted to pursue the one woman he had ever been in love with.

"Isn't this what Clark would've done for you," Bruce said with another huff, as he slammed the axe into the tree once more.

Diana only rolled her eyes. She knew Bruce had to have seen her and Clark talking earlier. He was the only one who made him this jealous, made him this irrational. "Is that what this is about?" she asked with a chuckle, which only angered Bruce more. She watched as he swung the axe twice more, hitting the tree, thinning out the piece of wood holding it upright. "It's been over two years, Bruce. I've been with you for nearly a year. If I was going to go back to him, I would have done it by now."

Bruce only responded with a growl, letting the axe dig into the tree once more. Diana watched as the tree swayed above them, and she knew if he hit it a few more times, it was going to come crashing down. "I bumped into him, and he told me he had finally asked out Lois." She watched as he swung the axe once more, the tree swaying more violently as he pulled back to look at her. "I would never do that to you," she whispered.

Bruce swung the axe once more. "It's not you I don't trust."

"Bruce, stop," Diana said, looking up at the tree, her eyes widening when it started to lean towards them instead of the open space across from his car. Bruce ignored Diana and hit the tree once more, his brows furrowing as sweat began to collect on it. "Bruce," Diana said once more, trying to get him to stop.

Bruce raised his arms to swing once more, however when he heard the remaining wood that had been supporting the tree, crack, he looked up to see the beautiful christmas tree he had been cutting fall towards him. Without another word Diana ran and pushed him out of the way, landing in the snow as the tree collapsed onto the snow, nicking the passenger mirror of his car. He let out a sigh when he saw the tree far enough from them, letting out a nervous chuckle when he felt Diana laying next to him. His mirror he could replace easily, but if she had been hurt because of his stupidity, he wouldn't let himself hear the end of it.

"That was close," he said, wiping the sweat that had collected at his brow. He waited for Diana to respond, but when he heard nothing, he turned to face her, his heart dropping when he saw she hadn't moved. "Diana," he called softly, gently shaking her arm. Again she didn't move and the panic began to set in.

Bruce placed his hand under her head and lifted her gently into his arms, his heart stopping when he saw the pointed rock on the ground, the snow around it painted red as the all too familiar scent of blood filled his nostrils. His hand moved from her head and his eyes widened when he noticed she had been bleeding from the back of her head. Without another thought, he lifted her up into his arms, carried her into the car, and drove off.

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 **December 12. Wayne Manor. 09:17.**

Diana stirred in her sleep, the faint sounds of Christmas music filling her ears as she tried to remember what had happened. Her eyes fluttered behind closed lids, as her face scrunched in pain. She had a splitting headache, and the pressure she felt in her head was enough to nearly make her scream. What had happened? She had remembered going into the woods with Bruce, had remembered trying to stop him from cutting down the tree, had remembered the tree falling towards him when she had jumped to save him. Had she been caught under it? Had she been hurt trying to save him?

She slowly opened her eyes, trying to allow them to adjust to the light that penetrated the room, before she looked around the room. She was in Bruce's bedroom, in his bed. A soft sigh escaped her lips when she noticed the hand on her arm, a smile creeping on her face when she noticed Bruce sitting besides the bed, hunched over in a chair asleep. How long had he been like that? He must've stayed the whole night. Knowing him, he probably blamed himself for what had happened.

Diana turned her attention towards the side of the bed, smiling when she saw the radio that had been playing Christmas music. She knew Bruce hated Christmas songs, said they were all repetitive and cheesy, but she loved them; he must've really been worried if he had given in and had the holiday tunes playing throughout the otherwise quiet room. Diana quickly sat up, grabbing her head when the pounding increased. Her eyes widened when she felt the bandages in the back of her head and she knew: she must've hit her head on something.

"How are you feeling?"

Diana turned to look up at Bruce, who was using his free hand to wipe the sleep from his eyes, while his other hand firmly grasped hers, giving it a gentle squeeze, silently asking her to forgive him. "I have a headache, but I think I'll live." She watched Bruce nod, his solemn face not bothering to give her a smile at her joke, before she asked, "What happened?"

Bruce let out a small sigh. "I was an idiot," he said, "I wasn't watching what I was doing because I was so caught up in the whole Clark thing, I- You-.." He took a deep breath, trying to compose himself, before he continued. "You jumped to save me and when you landed in the snow you hit your head on a rock. By the time I got here, Leslie was already here. I'm just glad you're okay." He lifted her hand and placed a kiss on the back of it, before he looked into her eyes. "I'm sorry, Diana. This was not how any of this was supposed to go. I let my jealousy get the best of me and you got hurt."

"Bruce Wayne," Diana said softly. She watched as he avoided her eyes, knowing he had tears in them; it was all too much like Bruce to avoid his feelings rather than talk and acknowledge them. "Come here." She pulled him into the bed, giving him a small smile when he joined her, wrapping an arm around her back, letting her lean the piece of her head that was not bandaged against his shoulder.

"I'm jealous of Clark, because he's the one you should be with," Bruce confessed. "I'm no good for you, Diana. I'm stubborn, I'm an idiot, I'm irrational - you deserve better."

Diana gently placed her hand on Bruce's chest, quickly silencing him. "I never told you why the two of us broke up, did I?" she asked. She felt Bruce shake his head, before she explained further. "He asked me to marry him," she said quietly, "Right after college. Clark grew up with this ideal family, this idea that everything was so clear cut. He never thought anything bad could happen and as much as I admired that in our friendship, in our relationship it was never ideal. Clark wanted the white picket fence, dog, and two point five children," she said with a chuckle. "I don't think I could ever give him that."

"I wanted adventure. I wanted variety….I wanted you."

Diana turned to face Bruce, making sure to meet his eyes with her own, before she flashed him a small smile. "You're my best friend, Bruce. You have been since high school. You're the most adventurous person I know. And as much as I've helped you overcome what happened to your parents, you've helped me with my mother and her issues." Diana placed a small kiss to his lips, smiling when she finally saw him give her a small nod. "I wanted to tell you earlier, before we went to go get the tree, but I love you, and I know you have this thing about never telling a girl you love them, but I needed you to know."

Bruce nodded once more before he leaned in and kissed Diana, placing his hand on her face, letting her know just how badly he needed to hear those three words. Throughout their entire friendship he had always known she would never go for someone like him, so he had been content being there for her when she needed it. When she had kissed him at her work's New Year's Eve party, he had only assumed it was because she had had too much to drink. Never in a million years had he thought it would lead them to this moment.

Bruce did nothing as Diana deepened the kiss, crawling on top of him, pushing him into the bed as she straddled his hip. His hands immediately found her hips and it took all of his self control not to ravish her right then and there. After all, she still had a concussion, and Leslie would be extremely disappointed in him if he hadn't been able to keep it in his pants for a few days. But Diana was stubborn, and when she wanted something, she wouldn't stop until she got it.

"Diana," Bruce said quietly against her lips, letting one hand release her hip and trail up her back. His fingers delicately touched the smooth skin he found and he let out a small groan, knowing what it was like to hold her bare skin in his hands as he made love to her well into the night. It had been something he had dreamed of doing for years.

"You know," Diana said, a smirk on her face. "I'm glad you and Clark are different when it comes to sex because-"

"Don't even finish that sentence," Bruce said with a growl. Thanks to a locker room incident in college, Bruce knew exactly what Diana saw, however he wasn't phased. Sex with Diana had always been amazing, it almost made him forget she had been with one of his best friends- almost.

"What?" she said innocently, giggling when he began to unbutton her shirt.

"I don't like to be reminded that you and him used to have sex," he admitted, flinging her shirt open, smirking when he saw the lacy bra she was wearing. His lips instantly connected to her exposed chest, nipping the velvety skin.

Diana chuckled, trying to contain the moan that threatened to leave her lips when she felt Bruce's head dip lower down her chest. "You honestly have no room to talk," she said with a gasp when his hands unhooked her bra and pulled the piece of fabric down her body. "You've been with how many women? And I still remember walking in on you and Julie Madison back in high school."

Bruce gave Diana a nervous chuckle, before he kissed her flat stomach. "Okay, I get it," he said. He rested his chin on her stomach and glanced up at her, his smirk growing wide when he realized no matter who had come before their relationship, they had still been each others' first. "Is that why nothing between us ever happened after that night? Until now that is."

Diana shrugged, watching as Bruce crawled up her exposed body to rest his head on her chest. That night had been mind blowing, and surprising in more ways than one; what he hadn't expected though, was waking up alone, Diana having left in the middle of the night. He had assumed he had messed up one of the best friendships he had ever had, so he had vowed to never let himself get tangled in a relationship again, only giving women enough time to know him to have casual sex; after all, wasn't that what they wanted?

"We were sixteen," she said, as she gently began to run her fingers through her hair. "I was in love with you, but I don't think either of us were ready for a relationship like that."

Bruce nodded slightly, before he bent down to kiss her bare shoulder. "You do realize you're the reason behind my trust issues," he said sarcastically.

Diana only laughed. "Well I will make it up to you, I promise," she said, tugging on his collar until he got the hint and continued to crawl up her body. "Don't worry, I won't be going anywhere tonight."

Bruce only smiled against her lips. "Perfect," he replied. The radio began to play the beginnings of a popular Christmas carol, and Bruce chuckled. "And tomorrow we can go pick up that tree."

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 **Let me know what you all thought. I know it was a little different.**


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